IEA Executive Director Urges Global Cooperation on Energy Infrastructure to Support AI Growth

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol addressed global leaders at the French government’s Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, emphasizing the critical relationship between AI and energy. He urged for enhanced collaboration between the energy sector, tech industry, and policymakers as AI development accelerates.

Dr. Birol spoke to an audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, co-chairs of the event, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and CEOs like Google’s Sundar Pichai and Naver’s Choi Soo-yeon. Dr. Birol underscored the vast opportunities AI offers, alongside the risk of stunted AI progress if the requisite energy infrastructure is not built promptly.

“There is no AI without energy—specifically electricity. In the next five years, thousands of data centres will be constructed. However, IEA analysis indicates that unless the energy industry, tech sector, and governments collaborate on the necessary power infrastructure, many projects could face delays or even cancellations,” Dr. Birol said. “That’s why it’s so strategic to bring together companies and policymakers, and the IEA will keep working with global leaders on this critical issue.”

AI is emerging as one of the most influential technologies of our time. IEA analysis shows investment in data centre construction has doubled in the past two years within key markets. An AI-driven data centre can consume as much electricity as 100,000 homes. Simultaneously, AI offers vast potential for the energy sector, helping improve weather forecasts, accelerate new battery development, and optimize electricity grid operations.

The IEA has been intensifying its efforts on the intersection of energy and AI to ensure the energy sector supports the AI revolution. Last December, the Agency hosted the first-ever Global Conference on Energy and AI, bringing together leaders from energy, tech, government, and civil society, setting the stage for the energy-related outcomes of this week’s summit in Paris.

On April 10, the IEA will release a Special Report on Energy and AI, which will explore how to meet the energy demands of data centres and AI, and the transformative role AI could play in energy production, consumption, and distribution.

Dr. Birol also announced that the IEA would launch a new Observatory on Energy, AI, and Data Centres on April 10. This Observatory, which was welcomed by Summit participants, will track the latest global data on AI’s electricity consumption and monitor groundbreaking AI applications across the energy sector.